Becoming number one is one thing. Staying number one is quite another. The current ruler of the tennis world, Jannik Sinner, said as much himself before the tournament. And his first match as number one was not an easy one, but he passed the test against Tallon Griekspoor 6:7(8), 6:3, 6:2. "It was nice to go out on court as number one. But I didn't think about it that much because I was preparing for my opponent," said Sinner.
There were two unseeded players in the field that none of the favourites wanted to play against. Matteo Berrettini, a former Wimbledon finalist, and Griekspoor. The Dutchman is extremely strong on grass and won the tournament in 's-Hertogenbosch in 2023. A tough draw for Jannik Sinner. And that was confirmed. Griekspoor played his powerful game. He likes to stand close to the baseline and attack whenever possible. The long rallies, which Sinner is particularly good at on hard court, hardly materialised. It didn't help the Italian much that he had won all four matches against the Dutchman so far. None of them took place on grass.
Griekspoor needed a physio early on and had his thigh treated. But the match continued. Sinner had to keep serving in the first set. In the tie-break, he quickly took a 5:1 lead and had two set points at 6:4. But in the end, the 27-year-old outsider from Haarlem took the set home. 10:8 in the tie-break. For the Australian Open winner from Sesto, it was now all about gaining control of the match.
There was another interruption in the second set: after a failed smash, the net tore from its moorings and had to be readjusted with millimetre precision. The break didn't do Sinner any good: he found himself facing a 0:40 deficit on his own serve. And then something happened inside him. He suddenly flipped the switch, won five points in a row and had break point himself in the next game.
The key ball of the day followed. Griekspoor outmanoeuvred Sinner and wanted to play the ball down the line to win the point. Sinner was already on his way to the other corner. But the ball touched the edge of the net and flew slowly into the court in a high arc. The Italian sprinted off, reached the ball and smashed it past Griekspoor as he fell. The crowd jumped to their feet in jubilation - a break to 4:2. "That was a crucial point, the momentum was on my side," said Sinner. Then he served through to nil. Minutes later it was 6:3.
The rallies now became longer, much to Sinner's liking. The number one dominated the rest of the match. Two breaks in the third set and an ace at the end gave him the win. Baptism of fire passed after 2:22 hours.
